Saints sell out season tickets for first time in team's history

Published: Tuesday, September 19, 2006 at 9:00 p.m.

Last Modified: Tuesday, September 19, 2006 at 9:00 p.m.

The New Orleans Saints officially sold out the entire regular season home schedule in the Louisiana Superdome, team owner Tom Benson announced today.

It is the first time in the history of the franchise, which was founded in 1967, that every available seat was owned by a season-ticket holder.

One year after Hurricane Katrina displaced the Saints for the entire regular season and placed the NFL's future in New Orleans in doubt, Saints officials now are making plans for a waiting list.

"We're now competing on that basis with places like New York, San Francisco ... Chicago and other major cities," Benson said. "This is just tremendous. People in New York and other places can't hardly believe what you all have done and people in this whole area have done."

Benson spoke at the reopening of an NFL-sponsored youth center near a now-closed public housing development. Several Saints players had joined volunteers in gutting and cleaning the center after it had nearly 4 feet of water in it after Katrina. On Tuesday, Benson's granddaughter, team executive Rita Benson LeBlanc, presented the center with a check from the team for $100,000. College Sports TV gave another $109,000 at the ribbon cutting ceremony.

Benson called on all Saints fans to wear black and gold on Monday to show solidarity with New Orleans and the team.

Benson also asked area employers to let people out of work an hour or two early on Monday so they could take part in festivities around the Superdome whether they have tickets to the game or not.

<p>The New Orleans Saints officially sold out the entire regular season home schedule in the Louisiana Superdome, team owner Tom Benson announced today.</p><p>It is the first time in the history of the franchise, which was founded in 1967, that every available seat was owned by a season-ticket holder.</p><p>One year after Hurricane Katrina displaced the Saints for the entire regular season and placed the NFL's future in New Orleans in doubt, Saints officials now are making plans for a waiting list.</p><p>"We're now competing on that basis with places like New York, San Francisco ... Chicago and other major cities," Benson said. "This is just tremendous. People in New York and other places can't hardly believe what you all have done and people in this whole area have done."</p><p>Benson spoke at the reopening of an NFL-sponsored youth center near a now-closed public housing development. Several Saints players had joined volunteers in gutting and cleaning the center after it had nearly 4 feet of water in it after Katrina. On Tuesday, Benson's granddaughter, team executive Rita Benson LeBlanc, presented the center with a check from the team for $100,000. College Sports TV gave another $109,000 at the ribbon cutting ceremony.</p><p>Benson called on all Saints fans to wear black and gold on Monday to show solidarity with New Orleans and the team.</p><p>Benson also asked area employers to let people out of work an hour or two early on Monday so they could take part in festivities around the Superdome whether they have tickets to the game or not.</p><p>"Let's look like a Mardi Gras," Benson said. </p><p>THE ASSOCIATED PRESS</p>